Things Change
by Zack Hiwatari-Chan
Summary: AU. Oneshot. Post Apocalyptic World where the Skeleton King rules. The leader of the resistance has just captured The Vigilante. A high profile fugitive from the Skeleton King's forces. She wants to know what he's doing in Shuggazoom, and if the Skeleton King's army is on his tail or not.


She entered the room with a serious expression. Her pink hair held back in a ponytail and her light green eyes fixed on the hooded figure seated in the center of the room. She approached him, so that only a table separated them. She leaned forward onto her arms and glared. "You have two seconds to state your name, and your purpose in my City." Shuggazoom didn't get visitors. No one within a hundred planets came near them anymore. Not since Skeleton King had taken over.

She knew who this mysterious person was. He was the Vigilante, a cross dimensional high profile fugitive from the Skeleton King's forces. He offered her no response. His head bowed and face obscured. His silence stubborn and definite. She growled, grabbing him by the collar with one hand and dragging him across the table. "I said talk!"

She narrowed her eyes as he continued his silence. Who did he think he was? She had enough to deal with. She didn't need some vigilante fugitive bringing attention to her city. She knew his track record, how high he'd come on Skeleton King's hit list. She grit her teeth as his defiance, she didn't have time to deal with him. She had work to do. With her free hand she reached for his cloak. Maybe he'd be more talkative if he couldn't hide his face.

His demeanor changed almost instantly. He reached up to stop her movements, but she was too quick. "No wait, don't-" He tried to protest, cutting off as the cloak hit the ground.

There was dead silence as they stared at each other. Green eyes wide in shock and disbelief, Blue ones similarly wide with panic. Her grip on his collar loosened, she backed away slowly. It was him. His pitch black hair and electric blue eyes, he was impossible to mistake. She couldn't believe her eyes. "Ch-Chiro? You're alive! How? Where have you been?" Her shock quickly changed to anger, fury even.

He flinched at her tone, holding up his hands in surrender. He took a step back from the furious girl. "Jinmay you don't understan-" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. She was in no mood to hear his excuses.

"No Chiro, I don't! How could you do this to me? To Shuggazoom!" Jinmay ranted furiously. Everything had fallen apart, their heroes dead. The entire universe was at the Skeleton King's mercy. And here he was! He was alive and well. While they tried desperately to survive under the new order. She was understandably confused and hurt by this revelation.

He tensed defensibly. He tried to defend his actions. "I didn't have a choice! Do you think I wanted this? Everyone had to think I was gone, or there'd be no hope!" His voice held a tone of urgency, the need for her to understand where he was coming from. She growled in response to his words. She took a step forward in anger.

Jinmay glared at him harshly. "There ISN'T any hope! You've been away for a long time. People are giving up. I can't hold the resistance together alone anymore." Her expression softened. She looked at him pleadingly. Willing him to understand her side of things.

Chiro sighed, his shoulders slumping. He looked away from Jinmay. "You have to, just for a little bit longer. I've got a plan. Just hear me out." He looked back at her. He needed her to understand what he was doing. This was about so much more than just Shuggazoom now.

She frowned, and nodded. Crossing her arms before she responded. "I'm listening, you have five minutes to explain to me what's going on. Why are you going around like some ninja-vigilante? You're a hero! You don't have to be alone, You never had to be alone!"

Chiro growled in frustration. "It's not about being alone Jinmay! It's about staying alive. Skeleton King thought he'd killed me. He wasn't looking for me. I thought that I'd just lay low for a while and make my move when they stopped looking for my body. But, it didn't work out like that." His voice got quiet as he spoke the last sentence.

Her anger having returned to her, she scowled. "No kidding. You've been gone for two years! What were you doing all this time?" She snapped. If only he'd sent her some kind of sign that he was still alive. She might not have spent the last two years thinking her boyfriend was dead.

"Trying to get home!" He snapped furiously. Raising his voice in anger. She was angry, he got that. But that didn't change that he had been through just as much as she had in the past two years. The room got very quiet after his shout. The words echoing in both their ears.

Her eyes were wide again. She covered her mouth with her hands. The look she was giving him was one of sadness. "Chiro. . ." She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

He held up a hand to silence her. "No Jinmay. I don't want to hear it. The final Battle took place halfway across the galaxy. With the Monkey's down, and the robot destroyed. I had to make my way home alone. It took me two years to get back here. Along the way I did what I could. I became the Vigilante." He moved around the table to stand in front of her as he spoke.

Jinmay took his hands in hers. "But you're here now. Stay, we need you Chiro. Shuggazoom needs you. Every planet under the Skeleton King's control needs you." She insisted. She needed him to stay. She couldn't do this anymore, there was so much at stake. She just wasn't ready to take on this kind of leadership.

He sighed. "I know. But I can't stay. I can't risk being recognized. I need to get into the savage lands. Near the citadel. If I stay, people will get hurt. You'll get hurt. I'm not going to lose another person." He said sadly, honestly. He pulled his hands from her grip.

"Chiro, I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry about me anymore. I promise, no one will get hurt if you stay. We could use a leader like you." Jinmay insisted. She had been doing fine on her own so far, but she didn't know how much longer she could do this. Two years, and she still felt like she didn't have a grasp of what to do.

Chiro shook his head sharply. "No. I'm not taking that chance. I won't lose you like I lost the Monkey's. Thanks for letting me stay the night. Oh and, tell the guy who tied me up that his knots need work." He smiled softly, before turning and walking towards the door.

Jinmay ran after him, grabbing his hand and pulling him back. "Chiro stop! You don't have to do this!" She protested. He couldn't leave, not again. He just got back! Whatever he thought he had to do. She could help, the resistance could help. If only he'd let them.

Chiro wrenched his hand from her grip. He spun around to glare at her. "Yes I do! You don't understand, I knew you wouldn't. I need to go now. Mandarin has been on the Vigilante's case. I don't want to lead him to you." He was terrified of that. He knew that no one had forgotten Jinmay, she was still a big target. He didn't want her to get imprisoned, or worse, executed. Especially not because he'd decided to come home. He turned and continued towards the door.

Jinmay scowled. She grabbed his elbow and dragged him back again. "I said stop!" He wasn't going to leave. Not on some bull headed assumption that he'd get her hurt. She had a far greater control over her powers now. She didn't need him to protect her.

"I'm really sorry Jinmay. But I can't let you stop me." Chiro said, not turning back to face her. He spun around. His foot came close to connecting with her face. Jinmay blocked it with her metallic arm. She barely felt it through her metal skin.

She ducked down and kicked his legs out from under him. "I won't let you leave again! You can't! I need you!" She was desperate, she needed him. Shuggazoom needed him. Chiro wasn't thinking clearly. But neither was she. They both had conflicting views of what needed to be done to take down the Skeleton King. And that didn't look like it was going to change.

Chiro hit the ground on his back. He got back to his feet and glared. "No you don't! You've done just fine without me. You don't need me Jinmay, no one does! My only purpose now is to bring down the Skeleton King at any cost. I'll take him down, or die tryin." He was prepared to fight her if he had to. He didn't want to. But he would if she insisted on it.

Jinmay clenched her fists. She glared at him in frustration. "No you won't! Are you insane? You don't have to do this alone, stay! Let us help you! I don't care if I get hurt, we've been hurt Chiro! We're always getting hurt! The resistance needs guidance, or at least someone who knows what we're up against. And that's not me. That's you!"

His battle stance faltered at her words. She sounded so, broken. So unprepared for the responsibility he'd inadvertently thrown on her shoulders."I'm sorry Jinmay. I'm so sorry. But I can't, there's too much at stake for me to stay here." He tried one last time to convince her to see things his way. He needed her too. She just didn't understand.

Her eyes narrowed in determination. "What you think doesn't matter anymore. I won't let you leave again! This isn't just about you Chiro! It's about the city, about every planet under the Skeleton King's control! You need to look at the big picture! You can't do this alone!" If she had to beat that into his head, she would. Chiro needed to stop being so stupid. If he didn't, everyone would suffer. No one could take on the Skeleton King's army alone. Not even Chiro. She lashed out again. Punching at his face.

He caught her fist and looked into her eyes with equal determination. "I have to. I failed once before. I won't let it happen again. I'll fight my way through every formless army he throws at me. When the time comes, I will end the Skeleton King forever." He was dead serious. He would do it, he had to. There was no other option.

Jinmay tried to punch him with her free hand. He caught it again. "Dammit Chiro! Would you just listen to me?" She demanded furiously. She pushed him back with her superhuman strength. She needed to make him see sense. He had to. Shuggazoom was a wreck and Chiro was the only one who knew how to handle the situation.

Chiro growled. "I am Listening! You're the one not listening to me! I have a plan, I know what I'm doing. You need to keep doing what you've been doing. I'm dead, as far as the world knows, as far as the Skeleton King knows. I, am, dead. I need it to stay that way!" He emphasized his words, trying to convey to her how important it was that he disappear. Before someone here recognized him.

Jinmay growled, glaring at him darkly. She wrenched her hands from his. Her anger bubbling over, she began ranting. "You don't know what you're doing! You're only thinking of yourself. You want revenge, you want to take down the Skeleton King. You're not even taking into account the people who need you, who need to know your alive. I'm losing numbers Chiro, the resistance is weak. Everyone is losing hope. Unless someone shows them that there's something worth fighting for, there won't be anyone to oppose the Skeleton King!" As she spoke she attacked, each punch or kick being effortlessly blocked by Chiro. There was nothing she could do that he couldn't prevent. It was almost hopeless.

As Jinmay's barrage of attacks began to slow. He made his move, ducking to the ground and sweeping her legs out from under her. "I don't know what you want me to say Jinmay. I'm leaving. Please don't make me hurt you." He said as she hit the ground. He turned and headed back to the door. His hand was on the doorknob when she spoke. He turned to face her as she began talking.

Jinmay was back on her feet, she threw his cloak at him. He caught it with a confused expression. "Just go, do whatever you want. I guess I shouldn't have expected things to change just because you came back. You've changed Chiro. And I'm not sure it's for the better." The pink haired girl whispered sadly. They shared a sad look, finally realizing how much had changed. Not only in their universe, but between them.

Putting his cloak back on. Chiro bowed his head, and left without another word.

**Note!**

**Just something I wrote randomly and decided to share.**


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